The Wired Cars of the 2012 L.A. Auto Show

The Los Angeles Auto Show opens up to the general public today, and like years past, it's an automotive mishmash of the ultra-ambitious, overtly stylish and tragically banal.

For the most part, the automakers in attendance played it safe, showing mildly refreshed rehashes of existing products, some fitted with more-efficient engines and tweaked exteriors, while others flew in products and concepts that had previously debuted overseas.

But there are a few stand-outs worth enduring the slog on the 405 to see in person. And for the rest of us, we've got you covered with our official guide to the happenings in L.A.

BMW i3 Concept Coupe

To prove its designers and engineers haven't been snoozing on the corporate dime, they rolled out a new concept in L.A. based on the all-electric, entry-level hatchback, and if you're having a hard time telling the difference, you're not alone.

Beyond the eye-searing orange hue, the major difference with the i3 Concept Coupe is the subtle transformation from a five-door to a three-door hatch. The wheelbase remains unchanged, as does the drivetrain, with an electric motor putting out 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The real news is the interior, which has slowly evolved from from conceptual navel-gazing to something resembling a place where you'd actually spend time. "This is 90 percent production ready," BMW lead designer Adrian van Hooydonk told Wired. And that includes the flat floor, scalloped window lines (so the kiddies can see out) and two flat-panel displays that will serve as the gauge cluster and infotainment screen.

If you're a die-hard BMW fan, the i3's styling might not suit your taste, but with an all carbon-fiber chassis, lightweight plastic body panels and rear-wheel drive, we're looking forward to seeing if BMW can make a lightened, urban-focused EV that lives up to the brand's "ultimate driving machine" moniker.

BMW i8 Spyder

Sitting next to the i3 at the BMW stand is another familiar face, the i8 Spyder Concept which debuted earlier this year.

While nothing has changed on the outside, like its smaller sibling, the interior has undergone another round of tweaks to get it closer to production-ready. BMW insists that the four wheel-mounted electric motors will provide more than enough electric get-up to get you around town, and when the time comes to enjoy a backroad blast, the turbocharged 3-cylinder mounted amidships will spring into action to provide some gasoline-powered oomph.

But BMW has a few hurdles to overcome before the i8 goes on sale in 2014. While the original coupe version has been given the green light, the convertible variant is up in the air – but not because of any engineering or technical hurdles. The open-air i8 can't carry the "Spyder" name because of a trademark by another German automaker making its own hybrid-powered supercar. Here's hoping they can work things out before the i8 cabrio goes on sale a year after the hard-top.

Smart ForJeremy

Call us clueless, but we're just not up to date on the fashion world. So when Smart said it was building a version of its electric ForTwo for Jeremy Scott, we ignorantly asked, "Jeremy who?"

Regardless, this be-winged atrocity garners its fair share of stares on the show floor, thanks to its not-so-subtle brake-light-equipped plastic feathers protruding from the rear, awful chrome wheels and even more obnoxious coke-dealer-chic interior. Even more disturbing: Sources at Mercedes-Benz (Smart's parent company) tell us that a toned-down version of the Smart ForJeremy will go on sale sometime next year.

Fiat 500E

As we said before, we like the Fiat 500 and we like the idea of an electric version even more. So the 500E should be right up our alley.

But with an additional 600 pounds of weight courtesy of a massive battery pack and a sub-100 mile range, the chuckable city car with style is sure to lose some of its fun-to-footprint quotient when it hits the California market in early 2013. And with a price tag that's sure to be north of $30,000 before any state or federal tax rebates, it'll be a tough sell even for the most eco-minded fashionistas.

Why are these people wearing the same VW-branded sunglasses and staring at a blank white screen? Click 'next' to find out.

Volkswagen Beetle Convertible

Everyone in attendance at the Volkswagen press conference was handed a pair of ripoff RayBans because V-Dub's future is so bright, the entire crowd apparently has to wear shades. Also, the polarized lenses let show-goers see the secret messages hidden on the screen behind the all-new Beetle Convertible.

The new drop-top Bug is exactly what you'd expect from the second generation of the reborn Beetle. It's a cute convertible that VW assures us will still have some appeal for the XX crowd. To do that, power is provided by a bevy of engine choices, including a 200-hp turbocharged version, as well as a TDI-branded diesel with 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque.

VW is also offering specific color combinations that match up with the different decades, including a black-on-white version for the "'50s" variant and a chocolate flavor with chrome "'70s" badging on the sides. But unfortunately, they're not offering plaid seats or shag carpeting ... yet.

Porsche Cayman

Drivers adore the all-new Boxster (us among them), but for the convertible-averse, Porsche has added a roof to create the second-generation Cayman.

Like its roofless sibling, it's lower, longer, lighter and faster than its predecessor, with a choice of a 2.7-liter flat-six putting out 275 hp or a 3.4-liter, 325-hp mid-mounted mill driving the rear wheels in the S version. Zero-to-60 times come in at 5.1 and 4.4 seconds, respectively, and given the opportunity to drive one vehicle off the show stand and onto L.A.'s congested roads, the Cayman would be our pick. Now we've just got to start scrounging the seat cushions for the $52,600 base price of entry.

Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force Concept

Meet the new G-Wagon. It's what Mercedes' California design studio envisions the off-roader of the future will look like, and it's part of a larger styling exercise that aims to answer what the Highway Patrol will be driving in 2025.

It's big, ostentatious and kinda awesome, with its massive grille, bulging arches, matte paint and sci-fi drivetrain that converts water stored in the roof into electricity. Add in a topographical scanner that connects with the suspension to tweak the springs to the road (or lack thereof) ahead, and you could be looking at the future of Merecedes' SUV styling.

Acura RLX

Acura has an acronym problem. Its four-wheel-drive system used to be called SH-AWD for "Super Handling All Wheel Drive," a name so Japanese you can practically taste the wasabi while saying it. Now there's the all-new RLX and its all-new P-AWS system, which stands for Precision All-Wheel Steer. We'll let you stop chuckling before we go on.

Silly nomenclature aside, the RLX is the replacement for the lukewarm RL, finally giving Acura a flagship that could actually compete with the stalwarts of the segment.

Two engine choices will be available when it goes on sale next year: a 310-hp V6 or a 370-hp hybrid variant. The problem: The former is only sending power to the front wheels, while the latter is sure to be a bit of a boat, despite the extra getup. Choose this over a BMW 7 Series or Mercedes-Benz S-Class and we will judge you. But at least you'll have plenty of headlamps; the RLX has 16 of them, making it look like a cross-eyed spider wearing a razor as a mustache.

Jaguar XFR-S

You know what's better than a 510-hp Ian Callum-designed sedan? A 550-hp Ian Callum-designed sedan. With 502 lb-ft of torque. And a 0-to-60 time of 4.4 seconds. And really, really blue.

This is the XFR-S, the English-gentleman-meets-boy-racer version of Jaguar's entry-level sedan. It's imposing and luxurious; ostentatious and refined. It's exactly what a hot-rod Jag should be and we want one yesterday.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series

A 550-hp Jag isn't enough? Want more power and two fewer doors? Have we got a Benz for you.

As if the all-conquering, SLS AMG wasn't eye-catching or powerful enough, Mercedes' in-house tuning division has turned up the wick on its gullwing supercar with the 196-mph, 662-hp SLS AMG Black Series. It's the road-going racing version of AMG's crown jewel, and with a weight savings of 154 pounds over the standard model, it's good for a 0-to-60 time of 3.5 seconds. The Black will be sold in ultra-limited quantities across the globe, and as for price, if you have to ask...

Ford Fiesta ST

You wouldn't think that the lowly Ford Fiesta could be a corner-carver, but then again, you probably don't work for the company's hot-rodding ST division.

This souped-up micro-car puts out 197 hp and 214 lb-ft of torque from its miserly turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder, and with a trick Torque Vectoring Control system and driver-configurable, three-stage stability control, you'll be lifting a rear wheel at the apex while still getting a claimed 34 mpg.

Chevrolet Corvette C7

We won't see the all-new Corvette until the Detroit Auto Show this January, but if you're hooked on Gran Turismo 5, you can download a virtual version of the everyman's sports car and drive it – complete with design-obfuscating camouflage – in the game. Chevy and Polyphony Digital teamed up to give wannabe racers a chance to do just that in L.A., but if you can't make it out, load up GT5 on your PlayStation and hit the game store.

Bentley Continental GT3

The old adage goes something like this: Rolls-Royces are meant to be driven in, Bentleys are meant to drive. This Continental GT3 is meant to be raced, and it'll be doing just that when the Flying B returns to the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2013.

But making an ultra-luxurious coupe into a GT3-spec racer is no mean feat, so the entire car has been stripped bare, fitted with a wing that wouldn't look out of place on a Cessna and dropped over a massive set of meats framing carbon-composite disc brakes that are bigger than the wheels on your clapped-out Jetta. All told, the Continental GT3 weighs 1,000 kg less than its road-going counterpart, which should make it seriously competitive when it lands at LeMans next year.

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